no
King meets with Lebanese, Syrian leaders
King Abdullah, Presidents Suleiman and Al-Assad hold summit

King Abdullah, Lebanese and Syrian presidents hold trilateral summit

July 30, 2010

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad held a trilateral summit meeting at Baabda Palace in Beirut this afternoon. The leaders discussed the critical issues facing the Arab world, as well as bilateral and trilateral relations.

In a statement aired last night by Al-Arabiyah, President Suleiman noted that the talks are part of King Abdullah’s initiative to achieve Arab reconciliation amid regional tensions. The visit by the Saudi and Syrian leaders, he added, provides a boost to the stability of Lebanon.

The meeting was also attended by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri. The Saudi delegation accompanying King Abdullah included Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Chief of General Intelligence Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz. On the Syrian side, Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem and Adviser to the Syrian President for Political Affairs and Information Buthaina Shaaban were in attendance.

Afterwards, President Suleiman decorated King Abdullah and President Al-Assad with the Grand National Rice Necklace, and then a banquet was held in their honor.

King Abdullah and President Al-Assad arrived in Beirut this morning coming from Damascus. The Saudi monarch is on the third leg of a four-nation Arab tour that will take him to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.